Do you think Starbucks coffee is overpriced?

Well, first of all, the coffee is very good, much better than dunkin donuts. The price is really not to expensive either. If you are buying plain coffee it is not bad, it is when you buy a blended coffee you have to pay a lot, but that is normal everywhere.

Yes, I do believe that Starbucks is overpriced.

However, when I am in a place I don't know very well, Starbucks is a "known" commodity, so I will usually go there. I only buy a coffee maybe once or twice a week, so it's not that big of a deal for me. When I am on vacation or traveling for business, I almost always buy Starbucks unless someone specifically points me to another place that they say is better and cheaper.

Locally, we have an excellent independent coffee shop where I can buy a 16 oz vanilla latte for $2 and they have a punch card so every 10th one is free. If I buy a coffee, most of the time I go there. The same 16 oz vanilla latte at Starbucks is $3.85, I believe.

There are a couple of other local coffee shops (non-chains) with a daily special under $3 for a 16 oz and their coffees are always less than Starbucks for a comparable cup.

I totally agree with you about the taste of Starbucks coffee being so-so. In my opinion, ALL coffee is overpriced these days, including Starbucks. If I'm going to pay premium price for name brand coffee, I'd go with Duncan's instead of Starbucks. I like the quality and taste much better. I don't get the whole Starbucks thing. I suspect a lot of people say they like it because everyone else says how good it is. But then, maybe my taste buds are just off. Who knows?

I agree it is fairly overpriced at $4.00 a cup. It is about $2.20 for a 20oz regular coffee in the Northwest US, which isn't too far from Starbucks headquarters. I recently traveled to England, and was overjoyed to spend 2.15 pounds (close to $3.50) for a 20 oz regular coffee. Coffee in England is plain awful! It is all instant or even in restaurants with French presses or drip coffee I visited; it tasted awful! I was so happy to have a taste of coffee from home. :) I guess it is worth it! I can also buy a bag of 12 oz of ground Starbucks coffee at my local grocery store for $7.49 which will make hundreds of cups of coffee. For that price it is a steal compared to buying it at the Starbucks coffee shops.

There's no Starbucks in my country but I think I know why it is overpriced. You would have known the secret if you have read a book "The UnderCover Economist". The first chapter titles "Who pays for the Coffee?". Starbucks in every corner of the street and also on most of the railway stations. People are in a hurry and so desperate about eating the caffeine that they don't see the price, just jump to it. This is also the reason why cold drinks and pop corns are expensive in the multiplexes.

Any individual that pays more than a couple of bucks for a cup of coffee really needs to have their head examined. I myself have fallen victim to overpriced coffee houses that claim to have far superior coffee than their competitors, or even that of convenience stores, yet it does not taste much different than them, or even better than coffee that you can brew at home. I would assume that the price is reflected based on convenience, and not so much as quality or taste.

The majority of those that visit such coffee houses are teenagers and twenty somethings that feel that they are a cool place to hang out and make them feel more like adults. Of course that is just my humble opinion on the matter. I do not find find anything special about their coffee, and Dunkin Donuts makes much better coffee than that of Starbucks, Seattle's Best, and Caribou Coffee, and heck, even the local convenience stores offer better tasting coffee. I am sure others will disagree with me, and that is okay, because I was at least smart enough to save a couple of bucks to just give me a quick pick me up.

This answer was edited by XpressOne 287 days ago.

Reason: edit

Well starbucks coffee is a little bit overpriced. They rely on amachine to make a good brew so in a way other people/coffee places can do that too.

The price of a starbucks coffee locally is worth $3-$4 and direct competitor sells the same coffee for less than a dollar. The name is what we are paying for not the brand. But I do like their pastries though and this is what I usually buy in starbucks and not the coffee.

I believe it's overpriced and I refuse to buy it, not only because it's overpriced but because of market domination. I'd much rather save the cash and make my coffee at home.

I think the price of Starbucks coffee reflects on what people are willing to pay for it. It's good business if you think about it. The raise the price every so often and justify it with inflation. Though, they are still paying their suppliers the same. So, even if they lose a few customers here and there, it does not hurt their profit because overall, people will pay consistently $5 for a cup of joe.